Arsenal was hopeful that Martin Odegaard’s injury would only keep him out of their match against Tottenham, and that he would be fit before their fixture against Manchester City.
The Norwegian has been one of their top performers since joining the club, and they missed his creativity in the game against Tottenham.
Although they won that match, Odegaard’s presence could have allowed them to score more and play a more attacking game.
However, it now appears that he may be sidelined for longer than initially expected, with David Ornstein providing an update on his potential return date.
He said in The Athletic Podcast:
“It looks like a significant injury, but look, we don’t know.
“The last I heard, they didn’t have the full clarity from the scan still, because of the extent of the swelling, but the extent of the swelling concerns you, if you’re an Arsenal fan.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Odegaard is too important for us to lose for a long time, but our other players must step up and keep the team winning games until he returns.
We have long hated being seen as a one-man team, and this period offers us a chance to show that we do not rely on a single star.
Can’t predict these sort of things, but you can certainly plan for them. If Odegaard is injured for a long period of time, it could pose a big problem.
Havertz is great cover for him, but that leaves us with Jesus as striker (who can’t score), Trossard (who lacks the physicality), or Sterling, which I wouldn’t want to gamble my season on as striker.
Havertz could remain striker, but who fills the midfield spot? Nwaneri is too young and inexperienced to cover for an extended period, and Trossard in midfield leaves us weak defensively.
Merino out makes it worse, so hopefully Odegaard isn’t seriously injured and only misses a couple of weeks. A couple months and we have a big problem.
